The present invention relates to a card hopper assembly for a card printer that includes more than one card hopper for holding stacks of cards to be printed so that more than one type of card can be stored and selectively fed into a printer under a programmed control. The card hoppers are slidably mounted on the printer frame and can be moved for aligning each of the hoppers with the card feed drive, and, when aligned, a card can be fed from the aligned hopper into the printer.
Printing on identification cards, which comprise plastic substrates made in different standard sizes and thicknesses has been known. In the past, the card feeders have used single card hoppers that will hold a stack of a selected size of card in a fixed position to be fed into the printer. The card feed mechanism will feed one card at a time from that stack. Hoppers that are adjustable in width so a different width cards can be fed have been provided but the stack in the hopper had to be removed, the width of the hopper adjusted, and the new stack of cards of different width put into place.
It may be necessary to print several cards of one type, and then print one or two cards of a different type, and then go back to the original cards. The cards in the two hoppers can be different widths, or thicknesses, for example. Also the differences in the cards can be different factors, such as magnetic strip, smart cards, proximity (rf) cards, or cards that had different pre-printed images.
In order to shift between different cards, it is time consuming to have to remove the stack of cards being processed from the hopper and then insert the stack of different cards. The ability to quickly change cards at the input of a printer is desired.
The present invention relates to a hopper assembly for feeding cards or substrates to a printer having more than one card hopper. Each of the hoppers may accommodate a different type card. A program control and drive will shift the hoppers from an initial position to feed a first card type, to another position to feed another card type under the control of a central program, which includes printer commands.
In one form of the present invention, a dual card hopper assembly is illustrated, but more than two hoppers can be used. The hopper assembly shown includes two individual card hoppers placed side by side, and each of the hoppers is adapted to hold a stack of cards, such as identification cards, forming printing substrates. The hopper assembly as shown is shiftable from side to side so that each of the hoppers can be placed in alignment with the printer card feed mechanism, and then moved to an operative position so that the cards in the stack of cards held in the hopper can be fed one at a time to the printer.
The hoppers are moved or shifted under a positive drive from a motor that is controlled by a central controller, or for cost purposes the printer could be manually controlled.
Sensors are provided on the printer frame to sense the position of the hoppers, and since the program control has memory that will indicate which way the motor that shifts the hopper assembly has moved, the position of the hopper assembly, and thus which hopper in the feed or home position is stored. At any time the controller stores information to indicate which hopper of the hopper assembly is at its home or card feeding position.
If the program for the printing sequence calls for a particular card type, that is different from the cards in the hopper aligned with the card feed, the hopper assembly is shifted to place the desired hopper, and its supported card stack in the proper position. To accomplish the shifting, the card hopper assembly is raised with a cam, and then is slid along support rails and guides to the desired position. Movement in the illustrative embodiment is in a lateral direction. The hopper outlet is moved to alignment with the card feed mechanism and the card printing path. The hopper assembly is lowered to engage the card feed with the end card in the card stack. Sensors may be used to determine if the desired card hopper is in its proper position, and also to sense when a card has been fed to the printer.
Manual operation of the hopper is also shown. The hopper can be raised using a motor drive and manually shifted, or manually raised and either manually or power shifted.